NFL announcer Boomer Esiason has named the biggest problem with the Dianna Russini, Mike Vrabel situation.
Esiason, a former NFL quarterback turned New York radio host, believes that, no matter what really happened between Russini and Vrabel, The Athletic's reporter will have her journalistic integrity questioned.
During a Wednesday morning segment on Boomer & Gio, Esiason sounded off on the situation.
“The biggest problem is, let’s say there was a female wide receiver coach, we now have female coaches in the league, and let’s say you saw (ESPN New York Jets reporter) Rich Cimini hugging her,” Esiason said. “We’d all be saying, ‘Ah there goes his journalistic integrity out the window.’ You know what I mean? And that’s really what this is all about, whether or not she can recover from that kind of feeling within the business. I’m not really worried about the salaciousness. I actually do believe both of them.”
The Athletic, meanwhile, is standing by Russini. Esiason, though, thinks it could be rough for her moving forward.
“These photos are misleading and lack essential context,” Steven Ginsberg, executive editor of The Athletic, said. “These were public interactions in front of many people. Dianna is a premier journalist covering the NFL, and we’re proud to have her at the Athletic.”
Esiason believes it'll be rough for Russini on social media, particularly.
“For her and her legitimacy doing what she does, it’s not going to be easy for her,” Esiason said. “It’s going to be really, really tough on social media. You know that.”
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Both Vrabel, Russini deny the speculation
Both Vrabel and Russini have denied the speculation.
“These photos show a completely innocent interaction and any suggestion otherwise is laughable,” Vrabel told the New York Post. “This doesn’t deserve any further response.”
Russini says that she was there with friends, interacting with a source like many other reporters will do.
